The Stowaway
by chocolatequeen
Summary: He said borrow or steal, I'll find a way to be with my lover upon Christmas Day. In which the Doctor is not the only stowaway on the Titanic. Doomsday reunion, set during Voyage of the Damned.


The Doctor scratched at his sideburn as he watched the stewards roll the malfunctioning Host away. If the Chief Steward's muttered question was any indication, this was not the first time they'd run into this software glitch.

 _Maybe bumping into the Titanic wasn't the accident I thought it was._

He wandered slowly through the crowd, keeping an eye out for anything unusual, anything that might explain why the TARDIS had brought him there. Men in tuxedos and women in glittering Edwardian gowns smiled at him, and he nodded in acknowledgement as he passed.

The band started playing a new song, and the Doctor found himself humming along with the catchy tune. But when the singer started, he swallowed hard and closed his eyes so he wouldn't look at the stage.

 _It can't be Rose, no matter how much it sounds like her._

Still, he couldn't block out the voice, not when it could have been Rose singing. Gradually, the lyrics filtered into his awareness, and he clenched his jaw when he realised it was a ballad of lost love.

 _He said, "Borrow or steal,_

 _I'll find a way,_

 _To be with my lover upon Christmas Day."_

An angry exclamation drew his attention, and the Doctor gladly turned, putting the band at his back. He recognised the man as a businessman he'd noticed before, barking out orders over his vone. It was no surprise to see him berating a young server over a broken glass with the same condescending attitude.

The Doctor waited until the rude man stalked off before bending down to help the server pick up the shards of glass. "Careful. There we go."

She shook her head and held up her hands. "Thank you, sir. I can manage."

"I never said you couldn't." The Doctor continued to pick up pieces of glass despite her automatic refusal of help. "I'm the Doctor, by the way."

The young woman unbent a little, offering him a small smile. "Astrid, sir. Astrid Peth."

"Nice to meet you, Astrid. Merry Christmas."

Astrid's eyes widened with surprise and pleasure. "Merry Christmas, sir."

"Just Doctor, not sir."

The correction was automatic, born from years of avoiding deference. But he regretted it when Astrid withdrew slightly in response.

"You enjoying the cruise?" she asked, falling back onto the polite questions she'd been trained to ask passengers.

The Doctor looked around at the passengers enjoying the lavish party. "Er, yeah, I suppose. I don't know." He hesitated briefly, then offered an honest observation. "It doesn't quite work, a cruise on your own."

"You're not with anyone?" Astrid asked as she stood up with the tray of broken glass.

The Doctor got to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. "No, no, just me. Just…" Hearing Rose's voice in the background sharpened his loneliness. He clenched his jaw, then nodded and said, "Used to be… but no."

Astrid was looking at him curiously, so he quickly turned the question around on her. "What about you? Long way from home, Planet Sto."

Her lips twisted in a wry smile. "Doesn't feel that different." She stepped closer and lowered her voice to a confidential whisper. "I spent three years working at the spaceport diner, travelled all the way here and I'm still waiting on tables."

Astrid walked away, and the song the Doctor had been trying so hard to ignore crept to the front of his mind again.

 _I think of him now and again,_

 _I wonder how his journey ends;_

 _As I sail by on my lonesome sea._

 _That stranger with the haunting face,_

 _Here then gone without a trace,_

 _Lying with his love, that's where he'll be._

He took a breath to clear his head, forcing back the memories of lazy mornings in bed with Rose. Then he followed after Astrid; he hadn't missed the wistful note in her voice when she spoke about travelling.

He caught up with her by one of the round windows that offered a view of planet Earth below. "No shore leave?"

Astrid tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "We're not allowed. They can't afford the insurance." She looked at the Doctor and shrugged. "I just wanted to try it—just once. I used to watch the ships heading out to the stars and I always dreamt of…" She stopped and shook her head, setting her dreams aside. "It sounds daft."

"You dreamt of another sky," the Doctor said quietly while Astrid stared out the window. "New sun, new air, new life. A whole universe teeming with life." He turned and leaned against the window, facing Astrid. "Why stand still when there's all that life out there?"

Astrid looked out the window for another moment, and the Doctor could easily guess where her mind had gone, imagining all the things she might see if she could just get off this ship. But then she caught herself and the professional server slid back into place.

"So, you travel a lot?" She glanced around the room, and he realised she was worried someone might report her for being overly familiar with a passenger.

The Doctor let her guide the conversation back to safer waters. "All the time. Just for fun. Well, that's the plan," he amended quickly. "Never quite works." _Trouble's just the bits in between,_ he thought, remembering another, happier Christmas.

"Must be rich, though," Astrid said.

"Haven't got a penny." The Doctor glanced around, then looked back at Astrid and whispered, "Stowaway."

Her eyes widened. "Kidding."

"Seriously."

A tiny furrow appeared in the middle of her forehead. "But then… you're the second stowaway I've found."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Really? Two stowaways on a Max Capricorn cruise liner?" Timelines spun and twisted, pulling him in a new direction, and he waited anxiously for Astrid's reply.

She nodded. "I found her the first day. Her teleport had accidentally locked onto the ship, and then it broke as soon as she got here. I got her a job as a singer with the band," she explained, nodding in the direction of the stage.

The Doctor's hearts stopped for a second, then started racing. The singer—the one who sounded so much like Rose. He listened to her again as he jogged around the edges of the crowd, straining to get a glimpse of the stage.

 _Beg, borrow or steal,_

 _I'll find a way,_

 _To be with my lover next Christmas Day,_

 _And I'll run and I'll roam,_

 _I'll cover the ground,_

 _Next Christmas I'll see you,_

 _I'll be around._

Through a gap between two dancing couples, he finally saw her, holding onto the microphone and swaying slightly as she repeated the refrain. For a moment, he couldn't speak, couldn't even breathe. But then he managed to find the air to say one word: _"Rose."_

Her velvet dress was a deep, sapphire blue, and he wondered if she'd chosen it to match the TARDIS, or if that was just coincidence. With a pang in his hearts he noticed her smile didn't touch the loneliness in her eyes—loneliness he knew all too well.

 _But that's finally over._ The reminder galvanised the Doctor into action, and he carefully moved around the dancers, his gaze focused on her.

He reached one end of the stage just as she descended on the other end. His hearts pounded when she turned away from him, walking away, just like she did in all his dreams.

"Rose!"

She froze when she heard his desperate cry, and he held his breath as she turned around slowly. He could see the fear in the rigid way she held her body. It was the same uncertainty he'd felt when he'd heard her sing earlier, the conviction that this had to be a dream.

Then a wide smile stretched across her face, and without realising that either of them were moving, a moment later, she was in his arms.

The Doctor closed his eyes against the torrent of sensory memories waking up at once. The feel of her body, pressed against his. The soft fragrance of her shampoo, and her own scent underneath that. Hearing her single heart beating fast against his two.

"I missed you," she said, the words muffled by his chest.

He sighed and pulled her closer. "Rose Tyler…"

She stiffened slightly and looked up at him.

He smiled and brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone. "I love you."

Rose reached up and pressed her hand to his face. "My Doctor… I love you, too."

The Doctor felt the corners of his eyes crinkle up as his smile widened. He pulled her closer, and she pushed herself up on her toes as he bent his head to kiss her.

Raucous laughter interrupted their reunion. The Doctor frowned in the direction of the overly-amused crowd, then followed their glances and pointing fingers to a couple dressed in purple cowboy outfits.

Rose took his hand and smiled up at him. "Let's go say hello."

oOoOo

Hours later, after saving the Earth and saying goodbye to Alonso, Astrid, and Mr. Copper, the Doctor watched Rose step inside the TARDIS for the first time in years. The ship hummed joyfully, and Rose's shoulders relaxed at the welcome.

"I'm glad to see you too, dear," she murmured as she walked up the ramp to the console.

When the lights dimmed and soft music filled the room, the Doctor took his cue and held out his hand. "Dance with me?"

She smiled and let him pull her into his arms, and they swayed gently around the console. When Rose pressed her cheek against his chest, the Doctor closed his eyes to hold back tears. He'd lost hope of seeing Rose again, and dancing with her in their home was overwhelming.

Rose looked up at him and brushed her thumb over his knuckles. "It's real, Doctor," she promised. "I'm really here."

The Doctor shook his head, but the TARDIS turned the volume up before he could argue, or wallow further in his remembered misery. He and Rose both blinked and looked up at the ceiling, then Rose chuckled when she recognised the song she'd sang on the _Titanic._

"I _am_ here, Doctor." She slid her arms over his chest to drape them around his neck, and happiness glowed in her eyes as she sang the chorus, one more time.

 _Beg, borrow or steal,_

 _I found a way,_

 _To be with my lover this Christmas Day,_

 _And I ran and I roamed,_

 _I covered the ground,_

 _This Christmas I'm with you,_

 _I'm finally home._


End file.
